Androgenetic Alopecia News

-- Hair treatments designed to improve your appearance may actually be damaging your coiffure. The American Academy of Dermatology suggests these healthy hair tips: If possible, use color that's no more than three shades different than your natural hair color. Always test at-home color before using it on all of your hair, checking for rash or irritation. Wear a hat with a wide brim to protect your hair from the sun. If you perm your hair, always follow the instructions. Set a timer to make sure you wash out the perm solution promptly. See a dermatologist if the perm solution causes severe burning or stinging. Read more

THURSDAY, Aug. 25, 2016 – Bad news for the follicularly challenged: A new survey confirms that balding men are seen by others as older and less good-looking. But when the same men got a hair transplant, observers thought of them as younger and more attractive, the study found. The transplant recipients were also rated as more "successful, and approachable than their pre-transplant counterparts by casual observers," said a team led by Dr. Lisa Ishii. She works in the division of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. One expert in male age-related hair loss wasn't surprised by the findings. "This study further validates what we have known for some time; we know that most men feel more attractive when they have more hair, and it seems the observers in this study tended to agree," said Dr. Katy Burris. She is a dermatologist ... Read more

-- Hormonal changes cause some new moms to lose hair after pregnancy. But there are things women can do to help their hair look fuller. The American Academy of Dermatology suggests: Shampooing with a volumizing product. Skipping conditioning shampoos, which add weight to hair. Opting for a lighter conditioner that's designed for fine hair. Apply it only on the ends of the hair and avoid the scalp. Read more

-- Baldness, once thought to be a male-only condition, also affects women. Want to know more? Here's some background information, courtesy of the American Academy of Dermatology: Hair care practices can worsen hair loss. Avoid activities that can damage hair, such as blow drying on the highest heat setting. Temporary factors such as childbirth, stress and illness can trigger hair loss, but this type of loss typically stops over time. Talk to your doctor about your medications, and any that may contribute to hair loss. Never stop taking a medication without discussing with your doctor. Read more

FRIDAY, April 29, 2016 – Black women who like to wear their hair pulled back tightly may be increasing their risk of hair loss, new research suggests. A team of researchers from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore reviewed 19 studies and found a "strong association" between scalp-pulling hair styles and traction alopecia, which is gradual hair loss from damage to the hair follicle from tension at the hair root. Traction alopecia is the most common type of hair loss among black American women, affecting about one out of three, the researchers said. The study did not prove a definitive cause-and-effect connection. But, styles linked with this type of hair loss include braids, tight ponytails, dreadlocks, weaves and extensions, especially if hair has been chemically straightened, the review said. "Hair is a cornerstone of self-esteem and identity for many people but ironically, ... Read more

FRIDAY, March 4, 2016 – Hair styling practices may be causing black women to experience hair loss, which is a major problem that often goes undiagnosed, a new survey finds. While genetics may play a key role in hair loss among black women, styling practices such as braiding, weaves and chemical relaxing may also increase their risk of hair loss, said dermatologist Dr. Yolanda Lenzy, a clinical associate professor at the University of Connecticut in Farmington. She joined with the Black Women's Health Study at Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center to survey nearly 5,600 black women about their experiences with hair loss. Almost 48 percent said they had suffered hair loss on the crown or top of the scalp. "When hair loss is caused by styling practices, the problem is usually chronic use. Women who use these styling practices tend to use them repeatedly, and long-term repeated use ... Read more

MONDAY, Sept. 15, 2014 – Men with male pattern baldness may face a higher risk of developing an aggressive type of prostate cancer than men with no balding, a new study suggests. But, the study authors noted that it's not clear yet whether men with this specific pattern of baldness should be concerned. Their study only found an association between male pattern baldness and aggressive prostate cancer. It did not prove cause and effect. "It is conceivable that, in the future, male pattern baldness may play a small role in estimating risk of prostate cancer and may contribute to discussions between doctors and patients about prostate cancer screening," said study co-author Michael Cook. Cook is an investigator with the division of cancer epidemiology and genetics at the U.S. National Cancer Institute. The study is published in the Sept. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Male ... Read more

SUNDAY, Aug. 17, 2014 – A drug used to treat a rare type of bone marrow cancer restores hair in patients with an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss, a new study found. Columbia University Medical Center researchers found that the drug ruxolitinib (brand name: Jakafi) restored hair growth in a small number of patients with alopecia areata, a disease in which immune cells destroy hair follicles. Alopecia areata can occur at any age and affects men and women. Patients typically lose patches of hair on the scalp, but may also lose facial and body hair. Currently, there are no known treatments to completely restore hair in these patients, who can suffer mental and emotional stress, the researchers said. First, the researchers identified the immune cells that destroy hair follicles in people with alopecia areata. They also discovered that ruxolitinib – which is approved by the U.S. ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 14 – A drug used to treat enlarged prostate and male pattern baldness also reduces a man's risk of prostate cancer by nearly a third, according to a large new study. The findings on nearly 19,000 men also overturn earlier concerns that treatment with finasteride – the agent in the prostate drug Proscar and the hair-loss drug Propecia – might promote the development of more virulent prostate cancers in men who contract the disease, researchers said. Finasteride did not affect overall survival rates or survival rates after diagnosis with prostate cancer for men who did and did not receive the drug, said study lead author Dr. Ian Thompson, a urologist and professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center. "If indeed the more high-grade cancers in the men taking finasteride were real, we would expect to find a higher death rate," Thompson said. "The survival of ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, April 3 – New research out of Japan shows a potential link between male baldness and an increased risk for coronary heart disease. But it only affects men who are balding on top. Those with a receding hairline are not at risk, the researchers reported. The findings stem from an analysis of six published studies on hair loss and heart health that involved approximately 37,000 men. And although the researchers admitted the small study size was a limitation, they reported that men whose baldness affected the crown on their head faced a 32 percent to 84 percent increase in the risk of developing heart disease compared to men with a full head of hair or a receding hairline. Study lead author Dr. Tomohide Yamada, of the department of diabetes and metabolic diseases at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Medicine, in Japan, reported his findings in the current issue of the ... Read more

TUESDAY, March 26 – Black men with early hair loss may have a heightened risk of developing prostate cancer, researchers report. This study of more than 500 black men found that those "who have baldness by age 30 are more likely to develop prostate cancer," said researcher Charnita Zeigler-Johnson, a research assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, in Philadelphia. Researchers have looked at baldness as a potential risk factor for prostate cancer for years, but studies to date have produced conflicting findings. The new research is believed to be the first to focus only on blacks, Zeigler-Johnson said. Blacks in the United States get prostate cancer more often than other men and are more than twice as likely to die of the disease. For the study, published in the April issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & ... Read more

TUESDAY, May 22 – Got hair? If you don't, you might have a higher risk of prostate cancer, a preliminary study suggests. Researchers are reporting that bald men who underwent biopsies of the prostate were more likely to have cancer than were those with more hair on their heads. "Bald men should be aware that they may benefit from being screened earlier and perhaps, if necessary, from being biopsied sooner," said study author Dr. Neil Fleshner, a professor of surgical urology at the University of Toronto. "In the study, the more bald people were, the more likely they were to have prostate cancer. We're 95 percent sure this is real." However, not all doctors are ready to embrace the study's conclusions. The possible association between male pattern baldness and prostate cancer has been considered in previous studies. Although the precise mechanism isn't understood, researchers think male ... Read more

THURSDAY, April 12 – Two Merck & Co. drugs – one to treat hair loss in men, the other to treat an enlarged prostate gland – will get revised labels warning of potential sexual side effects that can last even after patients stop taking the drugs, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday. The two drugs – Propecia to combat male pattern baldness, and Proscar, to treat enlarged prostates – share the same chemical compound, called finasteride. One dose of Propecia contains 1 milligram of finasteride; one dose of Proscar contains 5 milligrams. The new Propecia label will include a warning of "libido disorders, ejaculation disorders, and orgasm disorders that continued after discontinuation of the drug," the FDA said in a news release. The Proscar label will include a warning about "decreased libido that continued after discontinuation of the drug," the agency said. The labels ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, March 21 – Men worried about encroaching baldness, take heart: A genetic analysis of tissue taken from both bald and hairier spots on men's scalps has identified a protein involved in male pattern hair loss. The researchers note that drugs that inhibit the protein are already in development, and it's possible those drugs could one day be used to help men preserve their head of hair. In the study, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania did an analysis of more than 25,000 genes and honed in on one that produces an enzyme that produces a protein known as PGD2. That protein is present in much higher levels in bald spots. When scientists placed PGD2 on hair follicles in a petri dish, they found the protein inhibited hair growth. Researchers then tested the protein on mice genetically engineered to lack a receptor for PGD2, and found ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 22 – Doctors may have a leg up on baldness: Transplanting hair from a patient's legs to his head for what may be a more natural look. In the February issue of the Archives of Dermatology, Dr. Sanusi Umar explained that the finer, softer hair found on the leg is an ideal candidate for hair grafts that aim to recreate the hairline. "The whole idea is to take hair transplantation to the next level," said Umar, a private practitioner in Redondo Beach, Calif., and clinical instructor in dermatology at the University of California, Los Angeles. There are "several problems" with traditional methods for hairline transplant, he believes. "First, the traditional transplant takes hair from the middle of the back of the head, and that hair happens to be the thickest hair on the head," he said. That means that, "if you take it from there and put it in the hairline, despite your best ... Read more